APPENDIX B

Sample Roles and Responsibilities Agreement

This is a sample description of roles and responsibilities for the goal owner and the L&D department.

Purpose

This document provides an example of roles and responsibilities that an L&D department can share with a goal owner during the initial planning discussions. These role descriptions enable the L&D department head and the business goal owner to gain clarity and agreement on the roles and accountabilities of each party to deliver the agreed-upon impact from the L&D initiative. Some organizations will ask each party to sign their agreement at the bottom. (This example contains a sign line but that may not be necessary in your organization.)

L&D Introductory Script

“We have found that an understanding and acceptance of the following roles and responsibilities is critical to the success of our learning initiatives. Each party has a very important role to play. If either party believes they may be unable to fulfill their responsibilities, serious consideration should be given to postponing the initiative until a more appropriate time.”

 

 

Source: The Center for Talent Reporting website: CenterforTalentReporting.org

Roles and Responsibilities for the L&D Department and the Goal Owner

L&D Department Roles and Responsibilities

•  Work with you (the goal owner) to determine if L&D can help achieve your goal and, if it can, recommend an appropriate program or initiative.

•  Collaboratively agree on the appropriate target audience, approach, and timing of the training.

•  Collaboratively agree on an appropriate measurement and reporting strategy to meet the needs of both parties.

•  Discuss your role as goal owner and change manager. Recommend steps you can take to ensure successful deployment. Discuss your plans to reinforce the learning.

•  Reach agreement with you on the planned impact of the program. Reach agreement on plans for the key effectiveness and efficiency measures required to achieve the planned impact. These will constitute our joint success measures for this initiative.

•  Design, develop (or procure), and deliver the program, including performance support tools, according to the agreed-upon timetable. Create any agreed-upon communities of practice or facilitate other informal learning opportunities.

•  Meet with you regularly during development and implementation to share progress, discuss issues, and manage the program to a successful conclusion. Provide reports with agreed-upon measures. Provide a list of those who completed (or did not complete) the program by the required dates.

•  Conduct a project close-out review upon completion to review results and identify opportunities for improvement and lessons learned.

Business Goal Owner Roles and Responsibilities

•  Be available for discussions about your goal, how you plan to achieve it, and whether L&D has a role to play. If you agree it does, then make resources available in your organization to work with the L&D department on an appropriate program and target audience.

•  Meet with the L&D department to review and approve the recommended program, target audience, and timing. Discuss and agree on the planned impact of this initiative on your goal. Agree on other key measures of success. Discuss what will be required to achieve these goals. Agree on an appropriate measurement and reporting strategy, including frequency of reporting.

•  Discuss and agree on your role as goal owner and change leader. In particular, agree on steps you will perform to kick off this initiative, how you will manage it through your direct reports, how you and your leaders will reinforce it, and what positive and negative consequences are planned to ensure completion and application.

•  Ensure subject matter experts (SMEs) and others in your organization are available to the L&D department. Communicate the importance of providing the required assistance per the agreed-upon timetable. Follow up with them if necessary.

•  Meet with the L&D department regularly through development and deployment to review progress and resolve issues. Review agreed-upon reports on a monthly basis to identify where year-to-date progress or forecast is falling short of plan. Eliminate roadblocks. Let the L&D department know what else you need from them.

•  Take required action with your leaders to ensure the target audience has completed the learning program by the agreed-upon dates. The L&D department will provide lists of those who have (or have not completed) the training.

•  Establish accountability (and consequences) for employees in your organization to achieve the desired application and impact. (Note: The L&D department can provide suggestions and guidance for creating accountability, but only you and those in your organization can ensure that your employees apply the learned behaviors and knowledge.)

•  Meet with the L&D department at the completion of the program to review results and identify opportunities for improvement and lessons learned.